With no shortage of rain this fall, farmers throughout the Midwest are struggling to harvest crops in a timely and efficient manner that not only preserves grain yield and quality, but also minimizes soil damage.

“We are looking at a harvest progress that is close to two weeks behind normal and it looks like it could continue to lag if we keep getting these rain systems,” said Bob Nielsen, Purdue University Extension corn specialist. “The longer we go into the fall with crops standing out there being subjected to more and more rain systems, the more likely those crops are going to continue deteriorating in not only stalk quality, but also grain quality.”

As a means to harvest crops more quickly, many producers are working longer hours and utilizing multiple machines and strategies.

“Farmers are already trying to maximize their field efficiencies by having as much unloading on the go as possible,” said Tony Vyn, Purdue Extension cropping and tillage systems specialist. “Although a desirable way of increasing harvest efficiency, unloading on the go has some consequences as far as soil compaction is concerned. It is a bit of a balancing act that has to be done.”

Producers must consider the pros and cons of adding higher axle loads and more wheel tracks in the field, versus unloading at the ends of the fields and trying to reduce the compaction.

“My concern is about the impact of the harvesting activities of this year and what it may mean for soil compaction and crop response in 2007,” Vyn said.

Although wheel-track compaction alone is not disastrous, persistent compaction followed by other stresses can have negative consequences, Vyn said.

For example, if soil becomes highly compacted, the worst-case scenario would be to have a mild winter with little freeze-thaw soil loosening, followed by drought the following year with high heat stress in June for corn and July for soybeans, Vyn said.

Another factor for crop producers to consider is fall tillage. With a late harvest, farmers may want to consider other strategies for maximizing next year’s crop yields.

“It is better to consider not doing fall tillage, rather than to rush in and complete it in a situation where soils are smeared together or compacted beyond what they should be,” Vyn said. “We’ve had such good results with no-till for soybeans and even for corn following soybeans, that a wet fall like this is not necessarily a problem. If you have a corn-soybean rotation, there is opportunity to leave the field untilled.”

In addition to eliminating some fall tillage, there are a few other options for producers to consider during a wet fall season.

Equipment rentals that make for easier access to damaged grain stalks and muddy fields are an example. Pick-up reels are available for corn heads to help retrieve stalks that may be flattened, while renting machinery on tracks can help navigate muddy fields, Nielsen said.

Nielsen also suggested farmers utilize rainy days to scout fields and determine which are most damaged.

“As they look across their operation and the fields that are remaining to be harvested, it is probably worth the time on these rainy days to make sure they go around to these fields and get an idea of which ones are in the worst condition and which fields have the highest risk of going down badly,” Nielsen said. “If it’s possible to change the harvesting schedule, try to get to those fields first when it dries up.

“This time of year the condition of the fields can change so rapidly. All it takes is that one big storm with a lot of wind, and a field can go from standing to absolutely flat on the ground.”

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